1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to hand-held and hand-operated liquid sprayers typically called trigger sprayers.
2. State of the Art
A common trigger sprayer may be seen with reference to commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,523 to Dobbs. The trigger sprayer of Dobbs is seen to be comprised of numerous parts including (i) a pump housing or body having a pump chamber, (ii) an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway, (iii) a closure cap which mounts the pump body to a container, (iv) a dip tube coupled to the inlet passageway, (v) a check (ball) valve in the inlet passageway, (vi) a trigger which mounts to and rotates relative to the pump housing, (vii) a pump piston which is actuated by the trigger, (viii) a coil spring seated in the pump chamber, (ix) a discharge valve located at the entrance of the outlet passageway, (x) a nozzle coupled to the outlet passageway of the pump body, and (xi) a shroud which covers the pump housing. The trigger sprayer of Dobbs includes additional elements as parts of the above-listed elements. For example, the pump piston of Dobbs includes chevron seals for sealing against the pump chamber and for acting as a vent port seal. Many trigger sprayers include additional parts to implement venting. Likewise, many sprayers utilize additional parts in the nozzle to implement spraying options.